Shen Wuye, despite his jealousy, was always fair in rewards and punishments. In recognition of Xiao Hei's contribution in making Song Qinian unafraid of cats, his food supply was not cut.
Xiao Hei, eating the cat food bought by Shen Chi'yan and enjoying Song Qinian's affection, lived a life of immense joy.
However, after more than ten days, Xiao Hei had gained several pounds.
Yu Sinian returned from abroad and almost didn't recognize the plump Xiao Hei.
He immediately said to Shen Chi'yan, "A'yan, if you and Song Qinian have a child, they'll definitely be spoiled rotten."
"A daughter can certainly be spoiled, but a son would be tricky. However, Qi Qi would undoubtedly spoil any child to the heavens."
If a cat could be spoiled by Song Qinian into not fearing Shen Chi'yan, then what about a child?
Xiao Hei was a cat adept at reading people's moods. It knew Shen Chi'yan doted on Song Qinian, and whenever it saw Shen Chi'yan displeased, it would nestle into Song Qinian's embrace.
This caused Shen Chi'yan to contemplate stewing it several times.
"What about Song Qinian's condition? Isn't she not afraid of cats anymore? Why can't she still speak?"
Shen Chi'yan glanced at Qiu Puyu. Qiu Puyu frowned and said, "Cats are indeed the cause of Song Qinian's inability to speak; that much is certain. But since she still cannot speak now, I suspect there might be other, more significant reasons. Mr. Shen, have you asked your wife about her childhood?"
Shen Chi'yan's handsome brows furrowed tightly. He knew Song Qinian had childhood trauma and dared not mention anything about her past in front of her.
Liu Xiaohan only knew that a cat Song Qinian raised in her childhood had died, followed by a high fever, and nothing else.
He asked Song Jiashu, but Song Jiashu was even less informed.
Qiu Puyu stated, "I believe that to enable Madam Shen to speak completely, we must understand what exactly she experienced in her childhood."
Shen Chi'yan nodded, "I will investigate this matter thoroughly."
Regarding Song Qinian's affairs, Shen Chi'yan was extremely attentive. That very day, he instructed Gao Kunlun to visit Song Qinian's former neighbors or relatives and friends.
Eventually, they learned that Song Qinian had a very close childhood friend, a handsome and distinguished young boy. They were inseparable back then. Later, something happened, and the boy suddenly left, and Song Qinian became mute.
"According to those people, the boy was called Jun Jun, but no one knew his full name. They also said Jun Jun's mother was very beautiful, and his father was a doctor. The whole family was good-looking. It's just that they never expected Jun Jun's father to be a hypocritical murderer who often killed young children and was eventually killed in retaliation."
Gao Kunlun relayed the investigation results to Shen Chi'yan. "It's said that Jun Jun's father, the murderer, even made the news."
Shen Chi'yan frowned, "What was Jun Jun's father's name, and how long ago did he commit his murders?"
"His name was reportedly Zhou Shaoyuan. His murders were exposed eleven years ago."
Shen Chi'yan's face instantly turned extremely grim.
Zhou Shaoyuan!
Shen Chi'yan would never forget this man. It was this man who had kidnapped him and Lin Feichi, leading to Lin Feichi's death while saving him.
That man, with his refined and handsome appearance and amiable demeanor, was a devil in disguise. He had deprived eight innocent lives.
To this day, the parents who lost their children lived in deep guilt and pain.
Shen Chi'yan never imagined that that man's son was Song Qinian's friend.
Could Qi Qi's inability to speak be related to that man?
After much deliberation, Shen Chi'yan decided to speak with Liu Xiaohan again.
Liu Xiaohan was unaware of the events that had transpired between Song Qinian and Shen Chi'yan. She still believed their relationship was in turmoil and hadn't dared to approach Song Qinian.
When Shen Chi'yan suddenly showed up, Liu Xiaohan initially thought he was there to divorce Song Qinian.
To her surprise, Shen Chi'yan was there to inquire about Song Qinian's childhood.
"Jun Jun? Of course, I know him. He was Nian Nian's good friend. Nian Nian loved playing with him. It's just that none of us expected his father to be a murderer."
"How much do you know about Jun Jun and his father?"
When this was brought up, Liu Xiaohan felt somewhat embarrassed. She used to play mahjong frequently and hadn't paid much attention to family matters.
Later, seeing Zhou Shaoyuan's wife was beautiful, she even suspected Song Guanliang of liking that woman and had argued with Song Guanliang several times.
"I only know that Jun Jun was very handsome, the most handsome child in our neighborhood. Their family was also the wealthiest in the area. He was also very skilled at playing the violin. As for Zhou Shaoyuan, he appeared to be a doctor but was actually a madman."
Thinking that Shen Chi'yan wouldn't ask about Jun Jun for no reason, Liu Xiaohan assumed he had misunderstood something and quickly explained, "Chi'yan, Nian Nian and Jun Jun only knew each other when they were young. After Jun Jun left, Nian Nian lost contact with him. There's nothing between them."
Shen Chi'yan didn't understand why Liu Xiaohan would say such a thing. He frowned and asked, "Did Qi Qi have any contact with that Zhou Shaoyuan?"
Liu Xiaohan replied, "Zhou Shaoyuan was very good to the children in the neighborhood; he was particularly liked by them. Nian Nian and Jiashu also liked him a lot. After he was exposed as a murderer, we were all terrified. Fortunately, he didn't harm our children."
Zhou Shaoyuan's appearance could indeed deceive children. He continued to ask, "Have you ever suspected that Qi Qi's inability to speak might be related to Zhou Shaoyuan?"
"Ah? That's unlikely, right?"
Shen Chi'yan's expression was extremely grim. Liu Xiaohan appeared genuinely bewildered. She was such an incompetent mother that she had never even considered investigating why her own child couldn't speak.
"Do you have any photos of that Jun Jun?"
Liu Xiaohan gave an embarrassed smile, "No."
Seeing that no useful information could be obtained from Liu Xiaohan, Shen Chi'yan got up to leave.
Liu Xiaohan quickly caught up as he was leaving, "Chi'yan, is Nian Nian doing alright?"
"Without you causing her trouble, she's doing very well."
As he spoke, Shen Chi'yan took out a card. "Here's one hundred thousand yuan. Keep it and spend it slowly. If I ever find out you're gambling again, you'll face the consequences."
After Shen Chi'yan left, Liu Xiaohan looked at the bank card in her hand, becoming even more confused.
What was going on?
Just now, Shen Chi'yan seemed to be constantly calling her "Qi Qi." Had their relationship eased?
If that were the case, it would be wonderful!
It made sense. If Shen Chi'yan had no feelings for Nian Nian, after Lin Qiutong woke up from her coma, he would have divorced Nian Nian instead of trying to learn about her childhood.
Thinking this, Liu Xiaohan became quite excited. This meant Nian Nian's status in the Shen family would become increasingly stable.